Looking for a delicious, low-carb alternative to breakfast potatoes? These Keto Breakfast 'Potatoes,' made with turnips, offer the same crispy texture and savory flavor without the carbs.
What did the vegetables say when they arrived at the house party… Lettuce, turnip the beet. That's our favorite turnip joke! Actually, come to think of it, it's our only turnip joke. Anyway, these Keto Breakfast "Potatoes" are a great way to start the day — they look and taste just like the classic breakfast potatoes we used to eat all the time. Here's a quick rundown on how to make them!
Jump to:
- Preparation and cooking overview
- Chef's note
- 🍽️ Ingredients for this keto breakfast "potatoes" recipe
- Ingredient substitutions
- Additional ingredients
- Cooking tools required
- Tools substitute options
- How to make Keto Breakfast "Potatoes": step-by-step guide
- Cooking methods
- Preparation steps
- Cooking instructions
- What to serve with these keto "potatoes"?
- How to make it healthier?
- Time-saving tips
- What can I prepare ahead of time?
- Storage and reheating instructions
- Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
- 📖 Recipe
Preparation and cooking overview
Toast diced turnips with spices in a skillet until golden brown and tender. Toss in chopped onions and crispy bacon bits, then garnish with green onions and parsley for a flavorful morning hash that's ready in just 20 minutes. Enjoy this satisfying keto breakfast that will kickstart your day with its delightful taste and healthy ingredients.
Chef's note
To add more crunch to this keto "potatoes" recipe, toss in diced red or green bell peppers and sauté them with the turnips. Additionally, to balance out any potential bitterness from the turnips, drizzle a small amount of keto-friendly maple syrup over the finished dish.
For more inspiration check out our Breakfast recipe.
🍽️ Ingredients for this keto breakfast "potatoes" recipe
You will need simple ingredients to prepare these keto potatoes at home. The ingredient list goes as follows:
Ingredient substitutions
Here are some fantastic keto-friendly swaps if you feel like switching up some ingredients:
Additional ingredients
Add more flavor and texture to your keto "potatoes" with these optional ingredients:
Cooking tools required
To make Keto Breakfast “Potatoes” recipe, you will need the following kitchen tools:
Tools substitute options
How to make Keto Breakfast "Potatoes": step-by-step guide
Cooking methods
Preparation steps
- Gather all the necessary ingredients and measure them.
- Peel the turnip, wash it with cold tap water, and chop it into bite-sized cubes.
- Grab a quarter of an onion and dice it up.
- Cut the bacon into small pieces, whether you're going with regular or tempeh bacon.
- Rinse green onion and parsley under water and mince them.
Cooking instructions
- Heat ghee in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced turnips and spices — paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, toss in the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until it softens.
- Add chopped bacon to the skillet and cook another 5-7 minutes until the bacon is crispy.
- Turn off the heat and top with green onion and parsley before serving.
Chef's pro tip
Give those turnips a little time to get perfectly crispy by letting them sit undisturbed in the hot skillet for a few minutes. Wait till they're a lovely golden brown before adding other ingredients. And don't forget, ensure there's enough room for all the veggies to get nice and crispy—don't overcrowd the pan, or you'll end up with soggy veggies.
What to serve with these keto "potatoes"?
If you are looking for a classic American breakfast, there is no better pairing option than eggs. Scramble some eggs or fry them and serve with the "keto potatoes".
Alternatively, you can pair the keto breakfast "potatoes" with these dishes:
How to make it healthier?
Time-saving tips
What can I prepare ahead of time?
Storage and reheating instructions
Storage instructions
To store the leftover Keto Breakfast "Potatoes," allow them to cool to room temperature and then transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate the container; the leftovers will stay fresh and delicious for 3-4 days.
Reheating best practices
Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
The Keto Breakfast "Potatoes" (made with turnips, not potatoes!) recipe is a game-changer for all low-carb enthusiasts. Using turnips as a delicious alternative, this dish offers a quick, easy, and healthy twist to the classic breakfast recipe. Surprise your guests with this delightful dish, and they'll never guess it's not real potatoes.
And here's a pro tip: these keto "potatoes" aren't just for breakfast; they make a fantastic side dish for any meal, be it lunch or dinner!
If you loved this recipe, here are a few keto breakfast ideas for you:
Frequently asked questions
📖 Recipe
Keto Breakfast "Potatoes"
Ingredients
- 1 large turnip peeled and diced
- ¼ onion diced
- 3 slices bacon tempeh bacon for plant-based
- 1 tablespoon ghee avocado oil for dairy-free
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 green onion sliced, for garnish
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the diced turnips and spices — paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, toss in the diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until it softens.
- Add chopped bacon to the skillet and cook another 5-7 minutes until the bacon is crispy.
- Turn off the heat and top with green onion and parsley before serving.
Bob Burwell says
I have found that the turnips taste "off " to us. However radishes work perfect! Halved, roasted with salt and olive oil til edges start to brown. Add sliced onion and finish stovetop.
Also have used them in potato salad - let them brown a little more than above and chill before mixing in your favorite potato salad recipe.
Water content is huge so get more than you think. 1st time git a 1 lb bag of clean radishes and after roasting it was enough for 1 serving. I used 4 bags for the salad.
Donald Curton says
First, the bacon won't crisp if you add it last. So my advice, fry the bacon first and then set it to the side. Then cook the rest of the meal as written using the bacon grease, add avocado oil only as needed. I also added some red bell pepper, about the same amount as the onion. Add some cayenne also, as I'm from Texas and love the heat. Then crumble the bacon in once everything else is done. Otherwise, great. I wasn't sure about Keto but if I can find a substitute for potatoes as good as this, I think it'll work.
Davin W says
This was delicious. Only had EVOO on hand, but used all other ingredients as listed. I diced roughly the size shown in the picture, but cooked ~10-12 minutes since other reviewers said they should have diced smaller or cooked longer. 5-7 minutes would have been sufficient. It is a challenge to get husband to try new veggies, but he loved this and didn’t know it was turnips until after the fact. As another reviewer indicated, look at it is a way to try new veggies; not as a way to replicate the exact flavor of a potato. Nonetheless, I think the taste came pretty close! I will use the recipe to make again and again!
Julie Woods says
This is delicious. I plan to have leftovers tomorrow with an egg on top. I think it is a recipe that you have to have some instincts or cooking experience to get just right. I think my turnip was larger than the recipe called for, so I added more onion, it took longer than expected and so I divided it in two and cooked two batches. The second cooked while I ate from the first batch. I added more ghee and seasonings as I went along. I got great browning and took it all off the heat before the turnip got too soft- a comment I have read above. Once you get it right, I think when you serve this to unsuspecting guests they will be shocked to learn it is not potato. But, your house will smell like cabbage so serve if to guest the next day. : )
Michelle F. says
So freaking delicious! Slightly sweeter than a potato- just fantastic! This is going into my rotation for sure!
Brittany M. says
I make a double batch of this and eat it every other week as one of my keto meals. I absolutely love it! It smells so amazing when it's cooking or reheated, too 🙂
Becky says
These were delicious! I've been keto/low carb for quite a while now and have tried just about any potato substitute out there. I find that if I look at it not as a substitute for a potato and rather just trying a new vegetable, I enjoy the dish much more. I think people expect to much when it comes to potato substitutes (myself included!), but usually a change in mindset is all it takes.
I diced my turnip pretty small to try and get as much crisp as I could. I did not use bacon, because I sadly did not have any, but will definitely make these again with it. Added a little onion powder in addition to the other spices, just because, and just the smallest touch of keto-friendly maple syrup at the end to cut out the bitterness I tend to experience with turnips. Topped with a couple of farm fresh eggs, and I had a delicious breakfast! Thanks for the recipe! I will be making this again and again!
Jennifer S. says
Really great recipe. I've tried other keto hash recipes that tasted very off. While I had to cook the turnips a lot longer to get them to soften up enough (maybe I cubed them too big?), the taste was definitely there and wonderful topped with an over-easy egg. After hearing others say that their onions and bacon got extra done while waiting for the turnips, I cooked the turnips separately until just softened, then threw everything into the air fryer for several minutes until crisped up. Because the turnips don't crisp, I think leaving it in the cast iron makes the most sense so I'll stick to that next time. Thanks for putting together a recipe that is so much closer to the real thing than others I've tried!
Colleen says
I made this dish this morning and it turned out great. I prefer rutabagas, so used one of those instead of turnips. I can't recall if rutabagas take longer to make tender than turnips, but next time I will cook the rutabagas longer in that first step at a lower heat and covered before moving on to step two. By the time I got the rutabaga fork-tender, the onion and bacon were bit charred (not too charred to still taste grade). I served this with a fried egg on top of each serving. This totally satisfies the fried breakfast craving I get every now and then, without ruining my blood sugar for the day.
Margo says
How many servings for this recipe please?
Cast Iron Keto says
You can see the serving size at the top of each recipe card. This recipe serves 4.
Richard says
What a wonderful way to start a day. Thank you so much for that excellent recipe.
I added a scrambled egg, brocolli and topped it with very old cheddar cheese.
5 minutes in the oven, and my wife woke up to that mouth watering odor.
Thanx again to provide me with these morning moments.
AMW says
I love turnips so can't wait to try this when I restart keto next week. I've calculated a serving is 3/4 cup... Am I correct?
Cathy Castronova says
This is the first time tryin one of your recipes (All the pics look so appetizing.)
The Breakfast "potatoes" are delicious! I strayed by adding half potato and half turnip as I wanted to ease myself in to the turnip thing. Wow, I cannot distinguish between the two in the finished dish. I topped my breakfast with 2 eggs. Thanks for the great recipe.
Cathy
Cindy B says
Eager to try this for my husband. No problem with carbs, but the meds for his pacemaker makes high-potassium foods like potatoes a no-go.
J Bowen says
These are amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband loves it also 🙂 After trying turnips in this dish I used them in my fav clam chowder recipe and they worked amazingly well! Thanks for the inspiration!!
B says
Can you make your recipes printable?
Sandy says
I loved this recipe! I couldn’t tell the difference. A whole new Keto world just opened up for me!
Ellen says
I want to try this, but have never ever had turnips. What about using radishes? I hear those are most flavored like potatoes.
Alex Lester says
Radishes are a bit more watery and less starchy, they would still work though!
Lisa says
What about cooking the turnips in bacon grease and forgo the olive oil?
Alex Lester says
That's a great idea!
Jane Ritchuk says
I like to boil cubes of turnip and use in "potato" salad. Everything else the same, hard boiled egg, onion, celery, mayonnaise and dill pickle. Really hard to tell the difference.
Alex Lester says
That sounds awesome! My wife makes a cauliflower potato salad that's really good based on her grandmothers recipe, I'll have to try it with turnips now too.
Mike says
Just made this and it is not bad. Turnips get soft instead of crisping up though. So not the same texture at all. I loved diced potatoes in a breakfast scramble, but alas I would rather go without then use these as a replacement.
Jeni says
I love your recipes. This is the one I've made the most, it's perfect. Your posts are straight-to-the-point (which I also love) but are not in a format that can be imported via My Fitness Pal. Maybe you don't care but I thought I'd share : )) I'll be entering this one manually.